A Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission officer on Thursday testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that former ICT state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, who is now detained in jail, ordered a nationwide internet shutdown from July 18 to July 23, 2024 during the uprising.
Palak is a co-accused in the case alongside Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son and the ICT adviser to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to the prosecution, the shutdown was intended to prevent the outside world from witnessing the alleged atrocities committed during the July 2024 events.
In his testimony, the BTRC officer whose named cannot be published on the order from the tribunal, said that on the evening of July 18, 2024, then BTRC director general Kazi Mostafizur Rahman informed him by phone that Palak had instructed the BTRC chair Md Mohiuddin Ahmed to stop upstream internet services through the International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) operators.
The witness said that all actions were documented and approved by higher authorities, adding that investigators had seized his official phone used to open the WhatsApp group.
The two-member tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, and including Justice Mohammad Shafiul Alam Mahmood, adjourned until April 19 the hearing as the testimony of the witness remained incomplete.
Following a directive, the officer opened a WhatsApp group titled ‘July 18 ITC Operators’ using his official phone. The group included representatives from several operators and senior BTRC officials, according to the testimony.
He said that a group call was held where the then director general conveyed the government’s order to shut down internet bandwidth.
Internet services were subsequently shut down around 9:00pm on July 18 through the operators.
The witness further testified that a separate instruction was issued to the International Internet Gateway (IIG) operators via SMS, directing them to shut down internet services and confirm once completed.
He said that the internet remained fully out of operation from the night of July 18 until the afternoon of July 23, 2024.
The officer also told the tribunal that on July 23, Palak held a meeting with IIG operators and media representatives, instructing a limited restoration of internet services for key institutions, including banks, the Jatiya Sangsad, and cantonment areas.
At the same time, an ordered was issued that access to social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok would remain blocked.
He added that full internet services were restored on July 31, 2024, following another directive from Palak through the BTRC chairman.
The prosecution submitted formal charges against Joy and Palak on December 4, 2025.
